Panthers and Veteran TE Greg Olsen Mutually Part Ways

Carolina Panthers fans might need some time to adjust to the sheer overhaul that their coaching staff -- and now, it seems, their roster -- will undergo this offseason.

On Thursday evening, the Panthers announced that they have mutually agreed to part ways with veteran tight end Greg Olsen after a nine-year marriage.

Carolina can't officially release Olsen until after the Super Bowl, but their announcement confirms that they will do just that following Sunday's action. The 34-year-old just completed his 13th season in the NFL, and his cap number for the 2020 campaign was set at $11.6 million, after the possibility of a contract extension to lower that figure was discarded.

Panthers Nation, and, let's be honest, the city of Carolina, meant the world to Olsen, and the three-time Pro Bowler penned a heartfelt message on Twitter to explain the reasoning behind the stunning settlement.

Olsen was as classy as they come, and he departs Carolina as the upstanding individual and consummate professional he personified when he arrived back in 2011.

The former first-round selection of the Chicago Bears didn't disclose whether or not he will return to the NFL, but acknowledged that he still has "the love of football" in his heart and "will explore all opportunities" presented to him.

He deserves all of the time necessary to do just that.